Greg Speed, President of America Votes

Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Greg Speed is President of America Votes, the infrastructure hub of the progressive community - which coordinates 400+ organizations nationally and in 20+ states. In this conversation, Greg talks how the anti-apartheid movement piqued his political interest, diving into campaigns at the University of Wisconsin, lessons learned on Capitol Hill, and 16+ years as, first-E.D. and now, President at America Votes. In addition to demystifying the origin and operation of AV, Greg gives his analysis on the '22 midterms and the dueling turnout vs. persuasion post-election narratives.
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IN THIS EPISODE

The issue that first engaged Greg’s interest in politics…
Greg sinks his teeth in the 1992 President election while at UW-Madison…

Why Greg gravitated to the communications role in politics…and then away from it…

Lessons learned from his Hill boss, Congressman Martin Frost…

Greg on the 2003-04 origin story of America Votes…

The concrete role America Votes plays in politics and campaigns…

Greg uses Minnesota as an example of how America Votes operates at the state level…

Greg talks both building consensus and avoiding groupthink…

Are there corollaries to America Votes on the right?

Greg gives his analysis on the 2022 elections…

Greg weighs in on the 2022 turnout vs. persuasion narratives…

Greg talks the latest research on effective messaging and tactics to turn out voters…

Greg talks how he’s become a more effective manager over the years at America Votes…

Greg’s professional tips to young people in politics…

AND the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, Americans Coming Together, Matt Angle, Apartheid, Les Aspin, Peter Barca, the Big Ten, Stephen Biko, The Blue Surge, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, James Carville, Catalist, Chicagoland, circus tents, Bill Clinton, Nate Cohn, the coin of the realm, Deerfield, Tom Delay, The Democracy Alliance, the Dobbs Decision, Rahm Emanuel, embarrassing wide shots, John Fetterman, the Finger Lakes, Joan Fitz-Gerald, hitching posts, hopium, intentional lists, Joan of Arc, the Koch Brothers, MAGA, Bob Matsui, McCain-Feingold, The Media Fund, mental erogenous zones, messaging oracles, Mother Theresa, nerve nets, neutral convening infrastructures, no brainers, Ronald Reagan, Nicole Roe, Steve Rosenthal, Sara Schreiber, social pressure, George Soros, Donald Trump, the University of Wisconsin, vote tripling, The War Room, Joe Wineke, Yankee Republicans & more!